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animism

/ˈænɪmɪzəm/

noun

What it means

  1. countableuncountableA belief that spirits inhabit some or all classes of natural objects or phenomena.

    "I'm not entirely comfortable with the level of animism you and Hanners display towards that thing."

    2015, Jeph Jacques, Questionable Content (webcomic), Number 3126: Been A While I Guess
  2. countableuncountableA belief that an immaterial force animates the universe.
  3. countabledateduncountableA doctrine that animal life is produced by an immaterial spirit.

In a sentence

"I'm not entirely comfortable with the level of animism you and Hanners display towards that thing."

2015, Jeph Jacques, Questionable Content (webcomic), Number 3126: Been A While I Guess

Where it comes from

  1. GermanAnimismus
  2. Latinanima“life", "breath", "soul”
  3. Englishanimism

From anima + -ism, from Latin anima (“life", "breath", "soul”). Dated sense from German Animismus, coined c. 1720 by physicist/chemist Georg Ernst Stahl (1660-1734) See anima mundi.

Full entry for animism →

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